Reaxys enables users engaged in pharmaceutical R&D to look at data from a biological point of view

According to Dr. Takashi Nakai of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Reaxys provides unique services in the form of extracted property and reaction data, possibilities to look at chemical information from a biological point of view, and links to eMolecules with purchase information. See how that benefits his workflow in this interview.

Challenge

Working at the interface of pharmacology and chemistry, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a high demand for credible, accurate and current chemical information. Researchers like Takashi Nakai have to develop synthetic routes for compounds that will affect proposed targets and successfully predict the behavior of those compounds in vivo. This means needing to search for both chemical and bioactivity data.

Solution

Dr. Nakai relies on Reaxys, which he says is tailored for his needs as a chemist. He routinely uses it to search for structures, specific targets, patents and other literature. He is particularly pleased that he can filter hits using biological parameters, which makes his work on compound pharmacology much easier. In addition, when he has found an optimal synthesis route for the lead compound, he can look for ordering information thanks to the web link to eMolecules.

Impact

Dr. Nakai says that Reaxys far exceeds his expectations. It quickly leads researchers to practical starting points for synthesis. Because it presents excerpted data, Reaxys can help him circumvent the lengthy process of having to order and then read through full documents. Information is instantly usable and the linking to eMolecules helps in making critical purchase-or-synthesize decisions. It goes beyond data to provide insights and ideas—that's the mark of a truly useful research solution.

I think Reaxys saves us a significant amount of time because we don’t have to wait for information to arrive.